The Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently reported S.J.Res.20, A joint resolution authorizing the limited use of the United States Armed Forces in support of the NATO mission in Libya. Below is an excerpt of ranking member Richard Lugar's statement codifying the basis of Senate opposition to the Libya resolution.
I oppose the joint resolution reported by the committee.
The United States is still engaged in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and our national debt exceeds $14 trillion. In light of these circumstances, and the lack of vital U.S. interests in Libya, I do not believe that we should be intervening in a civil war there.
As reported by the committee, S.J. Res. 20 would provide expansive authorities permitting the continuation and significant escalation of U.S. military involvement in Libya's civil war.
The joint resolution would authorize the President to re-escalate U.S. military involvement in Libya to, and potentially beyond, the lead role it played at the beginning of the operation, when the United States carried out intensive air strikes on a daily basis. The joint resolution would only limit the President to actions `in support of United States national security policy interests' and `to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.'
Though President Obama indicated when he initiated this intervention that it would be limited in duration, our operations there have now lasted more than 100 days, and this joint resolution would authorize them to continue for as long as an additional year. The costs of these operations will exceed $1 billion by September, and could rise significantly beyond this over the period provided for in the joint resolution.
You can find the full statement here: http://ow.ly/5wKAF
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